Hosta plant named ‘Etched Glass’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Hosta  plant named ‘Etched Glass’ with compact rounded-mound habit of heavy-substance, cordate foliage having wavy margins, acute apex and cordate base with variegated dark green margins, light yellowish centers and intermediate melded colors between the margin and center. The plant has near white, lightly fragrant flowers densely arranged on chartreuse-colored scapes just above the foliage.

Latin name and variety denomination of the plant:

Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid (Tratt.).

Variety denomination: ‘Etched Glass’.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

This invention was developed without any federally sponsored research ordevelopment funding.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct hosta plant, Hosta‘Etched Glass’ hereinafter also referred to as the new plant or just thecultivar name, ‘Etched Glass’. Hosta ‘Etched Glass’ was discovered bythe inventor at a wholesale nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA on Jul. 8,2013 as a whole plant sport in a tissue culture propagated batch ofplants of ‘Stained Glass’ (not patented). The new plant has beenasexually propagated by division at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich.,USA since 2016 and also by careful plant shoot-tip tissue culture withthe resultant asexually propagated plants having retained all the sametraits as the original plant.

No plants of Hosta ‘Etched Glass’ have been sold, under this or anyother name, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to thefiling of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant beenmade prior to the filing of this application with the exception of thatwhich may have been sold or disclosed within one year of the filing dateof this application and was either derived directly or indirectly fromthe inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

There are over 5,800 registered hosta cultivars with The American HostaSociety, which is the International Cultivar Registration Authority forthe genus Hosta along with a similar number of unregistered cultivars.The nearest known comparison cultivars are Hosta ‘Stained Glass’ (notpatented), ‘Cathedral Windows’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,295, ‘Guacamole’(not patented), ‘Emerald Charger’ (not patented) and ‘Holy Mole’ (notpatented).

‘Etched Glass’, ‘Cathedral Windows’ and ‘Emerald Charger’ are all sportsof ‘Stained Glass’. ‘Stained Glass’ and ‘Holy Mole’ are sports from‘Guacamole’. All of the above plants have a green margin and lightervariegated center and lightly fragrant flowers. ‘Guacamole’ has a narrowmargin with a chartreuse center. ‘Cathedral Windows’ and ‘Holy Mole’both have a broader margins with chartreuse centers. ‘Stained Glass’ hasa narrow margin with a center that is lighter or more yellowish than‘Guacamole’. ‘Etched Glass’ has margins that are wider than all theabove except ‘Emerald Charger’. ‘Etched Glass’ and ‘Emerald Charger’both have center variegation with a more yellowish and less chartreusecolor than ‘Guacamole’. ‘Etched Glass’ and ‘Emerald Charger’ both haveleaves with greater substance that are stiffer than the other abovecomparison plants.

Other Hosta cultivars have variegated foliage, but ‘Etched Glass’ isdistinct from the above listed hostas and all other cultivars known tothe discoverer by the following combined traits:

-   -   1. Compact rounded-mound plant habit with dense foliage with        medium green margins and lighter yellowish leaf centers;    -   2. Heavy-substance, stiff leaves of cordate shape and acute apex        and cordate base;    -   3. Leaves slightly shiny surface above and below and lightly        dimpled between the veins;    -   4. Flowers on slightly outwardly projecting scapes just above        foliage with near white, broad-faced, fragrant flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe new plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurateas reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,temperature, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a five-year-old plant showing the moundedplant habit.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the foliage with variegation.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hosta ‘Etched Glass’,has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype mayvary slightly with different environmental conditions, such astemperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but withoutany change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of a five-year old plant in a partially shaded trialgarden and container grown plant in a greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich. withsupplemental water and fertilizer.

-   Botanical classification: Hosta hybrid;-   Parentage: Whole plant mutation of Hosta ‘Stained Glass’;-   Propagation: Garden division and sterile shoot-tip tissue culture;-   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture: About two to three    weeks;-   Growth rate: Rapid;-   Crop time: About 10 to 12 weeks to finish during the summer in a    one-liter container from rooted tissue culture plantlet;-   Rooting habit: Normal, fleshy, lightly branching; color between RHS    NN155A and RHS NN155B;-   Plant shape and habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with basal    rosettes of leaves emerging from rhizomes producing a short,    symmetrical, rounded-mound of leaves; about 10 divisions per plant;    divisions to about 3.0 cm diameter at soil level;-   Plant size: Foliage height about 38.0 cm above soil line to the top    of the leaves and about 81.0 cm wide at the widest point slightly    above the soil line;-   Foliage description: Glabrous, slightly lustrous adaxial and    lustrous abaxial; cordate, with acute apex and cordate base; entire    margin; with slight dimpling between the veins; blades mostly flat,    without twisting; with a thicker stiffer feel than Hosta    ‘Guacamole’, ‘Stained Glass’ and similar sports;-   Leaf blade size: To about 20.3 cm long, 15.2 cm wide at base;-   Leaf blade color: Early season and expanding margin adaxial nearest    RHS 137A and abaxial nearest RHS 137B, adaxial center nearest RHS    151A and melded color between comprising between RHS 144A and RHS    144B, abaxial center nearest RHS N144A with melded colors between    comprising RHS 144A; mid-season and later summer adaxial margin    nearest RHS 137B, center a blend between RHS 4C and RHS 158A,    intermediate melded colors between the center and the margin of    various widths, lengths and colors comprising RHS 1B, RHS 151D and    between RHS 143A and RHS 143B; mid-season and later abaxial margin    nearest RHS 137A, center blend between RHS 158A and RHS 4C with    intermediate melded colors between the center and margin comprising    colors of a blend between RHS 146D and N144D, and a blend between    RHS 151D and lighter than RHS N144D;-   Petiole: Entire, glabrous, glabrous, concavo-convex; mostly straight    from base of plant to leaf base with little bending or curving,    strong but flexible; to about 19.0 cm long and 1.5 cm wide at base;-   Petiole color: Adaxial center between RHS 145B and RHS 145A and    margin between RHS 139A and RHS 139B; abaxial center nearest RHS    145A and margin nearest RHS 146B;-   Veins: Parallel, lightly impressed adaxial, moderately bulging and    costate on abaxial side; average about ten pairs and one main center    vein;-   Veins color: Adaxial midrib between RHS 145C and RHS 150C with    secondary veins in margin region nearest RHS 137B and center nearest    RHS 160V; abaxial midrib nearest RHS 145C and secondary veins    nearest RHS 137A in margin region and nearest RHS 145C in center    region;-   Flower description: Perfect; single; actinomorphic; flared    funnelform, with tepals recurved; held outwardly to slightly    drooping; persist for normal period, usually one day on plant or as    cut flower;-   Flower period: Scapes remain effective with flowering beginning late    July for about three weeks in Michigan;-   Size: About 57.0 mm long with exserted style and stamens; corolla to    about 45.0 mm long and flared to about 60.0 mm across; corolla tube    to about 17.0 mm long and 5.0 mm diameter toward base;-   Fragrance: Sweet;-   Floral bracts: Subtending individual flowers; lanceolate, narrowly    acute apex, truncate clasping base, margin entire; glabrous and    lustrous adaxial and abaxial; to about 38.0 mm long and 15.0 mm    across, decreasing in size distally;-   Bract color: Abaxial center nearest RHS 145B and 1.5 mm wide margin    nearest RHS 143A, adaxial center nearest RHS 145A and 1.5 mm wide    margin nearest RHS 137C;-   Tepals: Two sets of three;-   Tepal color: Adaxial lighter than RHS 85D with veins nearest RHS    85D, abaxial blend between RHS NN155D and RHS 85D with apical tips    of outer tepal set nearest RHS 138A;-   Gynoecium: Single; tri-carpelled; 63.0 mm long;    -   -   Style.—Single; terete; arcuate upward distally; about 58.0            mm long and 1.0 mm diameter; color RHS NN155B.        -   Stigma.—Globose, micro-puberulent; about 1.5 mm across;            color nearest RHS NN155A.        -   Ovary.—Oblong; lightly fluted; about 9.0 mm long and 3.0 mm            diameter; color nearest RHS 145C.-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—Typically six; terete; glabrous; arcuate upward            in distal portion; about 51.0 mm long and 0.7 mm diameter;            color nearest RHS NN155C.        -   Anthers.—Ellipsoidal: dorsifixed, longitudinally dehiscent;            about 3.0 mm long and 1.0 mm across; color nearest RHS 199D.        -   Pollen.—Smaller than 0.1 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 14A.-   Flower bud: Clavate; with acute apex and fused tubular base; about    40.0 mm long in total and 13.0 mm wide in bulb portion, tube about    10.0 mm long and 4.0 mm diameter;-   Flower bud color: Tube nearest RHS NN155A; bulb lighter than RHS    91D;-   Pedicel: Terete, glabrous, lustrous; secund; outwardly; to about 8.0    mm long and 2.5 mm diameter;-   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS N144C at base and lightening to nearest    RHS 145D before corolla;-   Peduncle: Terete; usually one per mature division and six per plant;    slightly lustrous, glabrous; slightly outwardly and mostly straight;    length about 56.0 cm long and about 8.0 mm diameter;-   Peduncle color: When flowering nearest RHS 144A;-   Fruit and seeds: Not yet observed;-   Disease tolerance and resistance: The new plant has not shown any    resistance to pests and diseases common to hostas. The plant grows    best and shows best coloration with plenty of moisture, adequate    drainage and light shade, but is able to tolerate some drought when    mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 3 through 9, and other    disease resistance is typical of that of other hostas.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct ornamental plant cultivar namedHosta ‘Etched Glass’ as herein described and illustrated.